The role of multidisciplinary sales

The history of personal selling is dated back to 2000 BC. The industrial revolution, which began in
the 18th century, triggered a sales force to promote products and services. In this context, a sales
manager became an important person in the organizational structure to plan, manage and
control certain functions.

A salesperson is an individual whose fundamental job is to sell a product or service. They are
people predominantly engaged in personal selling activities on behalf of the company to generate
business connections that culminate with the salespeople in delivering the products or services
to the customers. This is the description of salespeople that was portrayed in traditional selling.
However, in modern selling, a sales person’s role extends above and beyond just delivering the
product to the customer. Focusing on areas such as sales forecasting and budgeting.

Compensation is an integral part of an employee’s substance and survival, which has a

motivational element. An organization should ideally draw an effective compensation plan to
make their employees feel contented and motivated. An effective compensation plan fulfils the
expectations of the employees and satisfies them. At the same time, it works towards their overall
fulfilment of an organization’s objectives.

The sales budget of any organization is a complex subject. An organization before contemplating
to develop a sales budget, delves into factors that influence it to avoid losing its utility. The
method of setting the sales budget is a vital part of the budgeting process in every organization.
A suitable method is essential to fix a sales budget that fulfils a company’s sales goals. Again, the
method varies from company to company, even for the same product depending on some factors.

Salespeople are taught to sell and get in front of potential clients and give them a carefully
orchestrated pitch. Salespeople check off all the features and benefits one by one. Even throw in
a few anecdotes to better connect with customers on a personal level. Sometimes, if customers
are not prepared to say yes right away, salespeople come back — ready to tell them once again
why they need the product or service. Salespeople craft “elevator pitches” to convince someone
when they are short on time. (Adopted).

TASK (Report)
Write a short report to the Directors of a company of your choice, highlighting the importance of
the following subtasks.

a. Briefly discuss the steps of the selling process. (25 marks).

b. Describe the factors that need to be considered in setting up a sales budget. (25 marks).

c. Develop a sales compensation strategy to maximize employee engagement. (25 marks).

d. Discuss ethical implications in the selling process. (25 marks).

Guideline Note 01:

1. Word-Count – 3000 words, 750 for each subtask. (5% +/- variance acceptable).
2. Appropriate theory and concepts must be applied.
3. Minimum ten references are required. Please use Harvard referencing.

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